Transcript

00:00:02

>> Get a whiff of this, Ford is looking to do away with a new car smell at least in Asia, it might be an intoxicating sentiment to many Westerners but most Chinese Drivers can't stand it. The US car joint now has 18 smell assessors known as golden noses, at it's research center in the City of Nanjing.

00:00:21

Their job, to sniff out what locals customers do and don't like in a fabric scent. Wait as Adam Jordan explains what's behind this unusual approach to pulling in business.>> Here in China, people are quite weary of chemicals now as partly because of issues around pollution, around product safety, we've seen issues of chemical residues in the country.

00:00:41

The issue is that here in China and there's research to back this up, the new car smell is one of the top priorities that consumers have when deciding what brand they're gonna buy. And so we see car companies here like Ford taking this very seriously.>> China is the world's biggest auto market and Ford sales there are down 7% this year.

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These expert smellers carry out hundreds of tests designed to help the company boost sales, picking up scents from burnt tire to mothballs on some of the more pungent materials, like steering wheels and seat covers. And the job doesn't end when they clock off for the day.>> They have a fairly rigorous lifestyle they gotta lead, they can't do things like smoke and they can't wear leather jackets, they can't wear nail polish, they have to avoid not eating very strong foods.

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>> Of course, there are other factors beyond smell that can make us ticking to make sure they get it right in China. But in a competitive market where the economy is slowing, Ford hopes its sniffer's squad can put the companies nose ahead of its rivals.